


We only need the weekend

by theaa



Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-16
Updated: 2015-05-16
Packaged: 2018-03-30 19:30:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3948910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theaa/pseuds/theaa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She has two options; tell her Grandmother that she is broke and single and living in an apartment with a routinely leaking roof and new carpet to hide a bloodstain, or she can lie her ass off. [Tumblr prompt: fake dating and Karen's grandmother]</p>
            </blockquote>





	We only need the weekend

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this like a mad woman last night. Karen doesn't know about Matt's other identity at this point, but I can safely say he'll tell her after the events of this fic. Maybe I'll write about that happening in the universe of this fic someday. Who knows. Please take this as your excuse to write more fake dating just to improve on this one. All the fake dating. I need it. I've played with Karen's back story in the comics to suit the prompt by the way.

Karen is cut off mid sentence and thinks her grandmother probably has hit the end call button by accident. Karen bought her a mobile phone a while ago, but she never truly mastered it and every phone call ends just like this. She redials but it goes straight to voice mail again and again until Karen just stares at her phone, cursing under her breath. She  _thinks_ , and to be honest she’s not entirely sure, but she  _thinks_  she just agreed her grandmother could visit her in New York this coming weekend in her  _large spacious apartment_ with her very much apparently existent  _boyfriend_.   

 

Karen closes her eyes to the headache she can already feel forming. Penelope Page is one of the few relatives Karen has managed to keep a good relationship with, and was very concerned when Karen proposed moving to New York a couple of years ago. Karen checks in every few weeks, spinning half lies about how  _great_  her apartment is, how she quit her job for another one, and yeah she’s  _totally_  got her love life sorted and she’s just so super  _super_  busy living her life. It’s all to keep Penelope from worrying, keep the tone of scolding concern from creeping into their conversations. It was also meant to keep Penelope from making the drive from Vermont. 

_Oh God, no._

She has two options; tell her Grandmother that she is broke and single and living in an apartment with a routinely leaking roof and new carpet to hide a bloodstain, or she can lie her ass off.

 

 

Foggy does not even have the decency not to laugh. Karen stands in the middle of the office; face buried in her hands, listening to Foggy try and stifle his giggles. 

‘Guys,’ she pleads, ‘this is a real problem.’

Foggy gives up his fight and snorts again. Even Matt’s lips are twitching upwards and she’s sure he wants to laugh too. Foggy eventually gets himself under control and forces a straight face.

‘So, just checking- you want one of us to pose as your boyfriend for an entire weekend?’

‘It’s that or tell my grandmother I’ve been lying to her for the past 3 years. Believe me, I’m finding this absolutely mortifying but I don’t trust anyone but you guys.’

Foggy genuinely looks touched for a minute. ‘I’m sorry Karen – I’m away with Marci this weekend. We’ve booked a hotel out of town and everything.’

Karen scrunches her nose and sighs. ‘At least someone’s got their love life on track.’ She’d prefer Foggy. It could have been so easy with him, like the first evening they went out drinking together.

But desperate times call for desperate measures. Her feelings for Matt are fledgling, bubbling beneath the surface. She hasn’t allowed herself to dwell on them, for so many reasons. His voice makes her feels safe and his smile makes her laugh, but that’s where she’s been drawing the line. She clamps down on her heart’s traitorous flutters and considers the second option. Practical and necessary.

‘Looks like it’s down to you, buddy,’ Foggy says, looking back to where Matt is reclining silently in his seat. Karen switches to look at him, seeing the playful smile slip from his face.

‘Oh – oh no, I couldn’t—‘

‘Matt? Please? I really wouldn’t ask, but I really need this favour.‘

She looks at him beseechingly, hoping that he’ll be able to sense some of her desperation and relent.

“Dude, she’s giving you the biggest puppy eyes right now. If you could see them you’d probably melt.’

Matt’s face cracks into a grin at Foggy and Karen jumps on it. ‘Pleaaaaseeee?’ she wheedles, letting her bottom lip jut out, knowing he can hear the enormous amount of _pathetic_ in her voice.

Her continues to looks torn.

‘Pleaaaseee?’ she repeats, and this time Foggy joins in, coaxing Matt into giving in.

‘This is a really bad idea,’ he says finally with a sigh, looking exactly in her direction.

Karen feels her heart soar with hope that everything might not be a _complete_ disaster.

‘Oh yeah, totally,’ she agrees. Heaven knows it’s an _awful_ idea. ‘But thanks for doing it anyway.’

 

 

Matt is sitting on the couch, a beer in his hand. It’s the evening of the day before and they’re in his apartment, which they’d agreed to pretend was _their_ apartment for the purpose of the weekend.

‘So what’s the game plan?’

Karen looks up from where’s she been dotting small houseplants across the windowsills and kitchen counter and moves back towards him.

‘What do you mean?’

She drapes a burgundy red throw over the back of the couch and slides to sit next to him.

Matt’s eyebrows rise above the frame of his glasses. ‘We need a game plan. A back story and how long we’ve been together and stuff like that.’ He swallows and his adam’s apple bobs. ‘Dating stuff.’

‘Oh.’ She feels stupid because of course they need that kind of stuff, but she’d been so busy worrying and trying to pass off Matt’s apartment as theirs, which apparently needed a lot of flowering cactuses, she hadn’t really thought that far ahead. ‘Okay. Where’d you wanna start?’

Matt shrugs. ‘It’s easier to stick to the truth, so I guess you’re still my secretary and that’s how we’re met. We can leave out all the lawyer prison stuff.’

Karen breathes out a half laugh. ‘Gee, thanks.’

‘And we’ve been together, what 6 months? Is that enough time to move in together?’

Karen thinks back to all her previous boyfriends; the sleazebags and the idiots and the ones who just got lost along the way. She never even got close to moving in with any of them. ‘I don’t know,’ she answers truthfully. ‘Maybe if you’re really in love.’

Matt nods solemnly. ‘Right. Love.’

The word feels heavy in the air between them and Karen can feel her face beginning to flush. ‘What was our first date? She’s bound to ask.’

Matt cocks his head to the side, thinking. ‘I cooked you dinner and we listened to records,’ he says firmly. ‘There was wine.’

Karen smiles, can picture the scene in her head so easily, laughing at each other across the dinner table, the LP player slow turning in the background, the lights dimmed. ‘Sounds perfect.’

He smiles at her, pleased with himself, ducking his head, and Karen feels the feelings she’s been biting down on rise again, a lump in the back of her throat.

How she thought she could avoid them this whole weekend, she doesn’t know.

Matt leans back again, picking up his beer, and it only makes Karen realise how close they’d been sitting.

‘You can go back to redecorating my apartment now, if you like,’ he says with a laugh.

Karen picks up the basket of toiletries she intends on arranging in his bathroom and considers how _utterly_ screwed she is.

 

 

Penelope Page arrives early on Saturday morning. Her greying hair is swept into a elegant bun and her matching skirt and blazer is a delicate shade of powder blue. Even though Matt’s building is nicer than her own, she looks utterly out of place. Karen doesn’t even have much time to be nervous before she’s being pulled into a hug.

“Nonna, hi!’ Penelope is just as willowy as her granddaughter and is only an inch shorter, and she cuts an imposing figure when she stands up straight and levels Karen with a fond, but stern look.

‘It’s been too long, Karen dear,’ she says firmly. Matt emerges from behind the wall and Penelope’s eagle eyes zero in on him immediately.

‘And you must be Matthew!’ she exclaims, almost shoving Karen out of the way to reach him. Karen had filled her in on Matt’s condition but she was still worried what her reaction would be.

Matt smiles at her and extends his hand, which she shakes daintily. ‘Hi Mrs Page, it’s nice to meet you.’

‘It’s nice to finally meet you. And so handsome! Karen’s told me so much about you!’

‘All good things, I hope,’ he replies easily, a hint of teasing to his voice and Penelope laughs. Karen takes a second to marvel at how at ease he appears.

‘Welcome to our home,’ Matt says, stepping away to lead her grandmother into the lounge. The billboard is still flashing messages but they’ve pulled a blind against it and Matt waves a hand towards it.

‘Sorry about that. As you may suspect it doesn’t really bother me and helps lower the rent for Karen and I, so we get by.’

Karen moves closet to Matt, eager to chip in. ‘Yeah, I honestly don’t even notice it anymore.’

Penelope nods, catches herself, and agrees. ‘Yes, I do hear rent prices can be a little extortionate in the city.’

‘Absolutely,’ Matt agrees. Karen watches her grandmother look around, her heart beginning to pound a little when her gaze sweeps over all the added décor. Does she notice it’s all out of place? Can she tell?

Matt’s arm comes to snake around her middle, drawing her into his side, fingers brushing the skin between her blouse and jeans. She can’t tell if it’s intentional or not, but the little touch makes her skin fizz.

‘Relax,’ Matt whispers, so only she can hear.

Oh, if only she could.

 

Penelope crosses her cutlery delicately and sits back. ‘Well now, I’ve been talking your ears off about myself, and I haven’t even asked about you two.’

Karen is sitting next to Matt, busy fielding questions whenever they have come up during lunch, directing conversation back to her grandmother, but at this direct address she freezes.

‘Uhmm…’

Matt’s hand appears on her knee, gentle and probably meant as a sign of reassurance, made better if Penelope can see that it’s happening.

‘What do you want to know?’ Matt asks sweetly.

‘Well Karen’s told me that you’re a lawyer where she works, and ah-‘

‘-that I’m blind? It’s okay – it’s an important thing to know. It’s not easy to find people who approach it in the right way, but Karen is brilliant. She doesn’t treat me any different, but she’s aware that it’s a part of who I am and caters to it when she needs to. I’m so blessed to have her by my side.’

Karen actually starts to mist up at this, which is _ridiculous_ because underneath it all Matt only means it as a friend, but when she looks over to her grandmother, Penelope is pulling a doe-eyed expression and seems just as touched as she is. She quickly pulls herself together.

‘That’s lovely. I’m so glad you two found each other,’ Penelope murmurs. ‘Did you know straight away or-?’

Karen starts to say ‘no’ just as Matt says ‘yes’ and they glance at each other, Karen’s eyes wide and alarmed. Matt moves his hand to swing across the back of Karen’s chair, around her shoulders, smoothing a piece of hair between his forefinger and thumb.

‘I guess it was different for us both,’ he covers. ‘When I heard Karen’s voice, I knew she was special, and as I got to know her, that feeling deepened. You were a little wary about the work relationship is all, right darling?’

Karen blinks at the pet name, and honestly everything else he just said. The words flow so easily for him, she’s a little dumbfounded. They sound so sincere.

‘Uh, yeah I guess. I took a little persuading.’

Penelope nods. ‘Quite right. A work relationship can become very fraught but I don’t think you two need to worry about that.’

Matt’s fingers lift to graze the back of her neck, playing with the hair there, and she visibly shivers at his touch.

She needs to get out of this apartment.

 

 

Karen and Penelope come home late evening, their arms laden with shopping bags, feet aching from traipsing around shop after shop. Penelope had insisted on treating her granddaughter to a few things – Karen looks anxiously at the smallest bag she holds; dainty, the handles tied with a bow.

Wrapped in tissue paper inside is a ridiculously expensive set of underwear Karen doesn’t suppose she will ever wear in her life.

‘Come on now, we have to get you something nice for Matthew.’

‘Oh my gosh, Nonna, no, please, we’re fine, I’m fine!’

‘Nonsense! You’re a grown woman in a long term relationship, these things are important.’

She looks at the racks of garters and bras, overwhelmed by the colours and materials surrounding her. Penelope marches straight over to a particularly lacy set.

‘Honestly, Nonna, Matt doesn’t need these sorts of things…’

Her whole body is heating up just thinking about wearing anything like this around Matt, at the mere suggestion of them together.

Penelope looks at her and shakes her head, smiling. ‘Gracious girl, stop being a prude. Now I know it may not be so important what you particularly look like in these garments, but I was thinking more along the lines of what you will _feel_ like…’

The underwear is dark pink ‘to suit her complexion’ but is more lace than material, with tiny satin bows and clips that attach the bralet to the panties. The lace ends just above her belly button, with fringing detail, and the panties cut high into her thigh.

She imagines Matt running his fingers over it, trailing his hands over the patterns and swirls of lace over her stomach, inching higher and higher, imagines him following the curve of the the hemline against her leg, fingers pulling at the clasps, popping them undone. 

It’s the most provocative thing she’s ever worn and she doesn’t recognise herself in the mirror, gasping slightly.

Penelope, hovering outside the fitting room, hears her. ‘That’s it – you’re getting it, Karen. No two ways.’

So that’s how it transpires that among all the dresses and skirts, Karen is also bringing back lingerie, apparently for Matt’s pleasure.

Penelope gathers up her own shopping and heads towards the spare bedroom. ‘Have a nice night, dear,’ she says, winking as she closes the door.

Karen picks up her own bags, suddenly presented with the realisation that she’s expected to sleep in Matt’s room. He’s not around so she guesses he’s in there already and she pushes the door open quietly, shuffling her bags inside. Matt is lying on the bed, already in lounge pants and a loose t-shirt, earphones popped into his ears. He yanks them out when he hears her come in.

‘Hey,’ he says softly. ‘How was your day?’

‘Tiring. I never want to go shopping again.’

He laughs softly. ‘What’d you get?’

‘Mostly dresses and skirts.’

Matt nods. ‘Describe them to me,’ he says, shuffling to sit up against the pillows.

‘Uhmm, okay.’ Karen thinks about it. ‘So I have a green one – like pine green? The colour of dense woodland. And it’s got a low scooping neckline and it flares out in the skirt. It’s nice, I like it, probably my favourite.’

Matt nods and looks thoughtful and Karen wonders what he’s doing – is he envisioning the dress or is he imagining her in it?

She describes a few more pieces haltingly and then her eyes fall on the small bag and her breath hitches.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Nothing – no just – just something else I got.’

‘What is it?’ Matt asks curiously.

‘No, honestly it’s nothing, you don’t-‘

He genuinely looks confused, smiling slightly, and presses the question. ‘C’mon, what is it?’

Karen sighs. It would look dodgy if she kept denying him an answer. ‘Lingerie. Nonna made me buy lingerie. For you.’

‘Oh.’

‘Yeah…’

There’s a beat of silence. ‘Can – can I touch it? It’s just it’s been a long while since I’ve been around lingerie and…’ he trails off, the awkwardness of his question crushing his words.

‘Oh, umm, sure.’

She pulls off the tissue paper and hands it to him, watching as he runs a thumb over the lace, fiddles with the little tiny clips on the side, his eyes closed. After about thirty seconds he hands it back again.

“You should keep it, in case you need it for someone else. It’s nice,’ he says softly.

And honestly, this whole thing is killing her.

 

 

She wakes in the morning to Matt’s radio alarm and she rolls over groggily looking for him to turn it off. He is only barely awake himself and extends an arm, feeling for the alarm to hit the snooze button. When he does, they let out a collective sigh of relief.

‘Morning’ she whispers, and Matt groans in response. His eyes are still glued shut, his hair an unkempt mess on his head. He’s pushed the sheets down to his middle during the night and now his t-shirt is riding up, exposing a few inches of flat toned stomach.

It’s all a bit much.

They decided last night just to share the bed instead of one of them on the floor, as Matt well pointed out it was certainly big enough. Still, Karen thinks it’s a small miracle she didn’t wake up accidently using Matt’s chest as a pillow.

‘Coffee?’ she manages to ask.

‘I’ll get it,’ he mumbles, swinging himself out of bed. His pants ride low on his hips when he stands up and Karen turns her face back into the pillows to stop herself from staring.

Five minutes later Matt sets a mug down next to her, and to her surprise, climbs into bed again.

‘Penelope isn’t up yet, I didn’t hear her.’

‘Oh, that’s good.’

‘Yeah.’

They drink in mostly silence until Matt puts his mug down.

‘You never talk about your parents and neither does Penelope.’ His voice is soft and cautious, not pushy, but genuinely caring.

Karen’s mug pauses halfway to her lips. ‘No, I guess we don’t.’

‘Can I ask why?’

Normally she hates getting into family stuff, digging up and rehashing the past, but sitting in the bed feels so safe and peaceful, a little bubble of tranquillity, so she finds herself opening up.

‘Nonna’s my Dad’s mom. My Dad’s a scientist – really work obsessed you know? He spent years of his marriage in labs and my Mom didn’t really handle it that well. She took to gambling to fill her time and their marriage disintegrated and Nonna had to bail them out, financially and emotionally. I guess they didn’t treat me very well. Forgot I was there half the time and used me as bargaining chip the other half. They’re still together – neither of them really thinks divorce is a correct option, but it’s not – it’s not a happy home. Nonna took me out whenever she could, but they could get a little possessive. I ran away when I was sixteen and Nonna was the one who found me again.’

Matt listens all the way through and when she’s done he takes her hand on top of the covers. ‘Thanks for telling me. I’m sorry.’

Karen shrugs. ‘Everyone has shit. That’s just mine.’

They sit in each other’s company for a while before Matt speaks.

‘It’s half seven on a Sunday. I reckon we could do with some more sleep.’

Despite the coffee she’s just drunk Karen nods. ‘Yeah, sounds good.’

Matt shuffles down and drags the sheets over both of them again. Talking about her parents has made her feel heavy and anxious and it’s like Matt can tell. He opens up his arms for her, gesturing her in.

‘C’mere.’

He envelops her, arms fitting snugly around her shoulders and back, her face pressed against his chest. He presses a feather light kiss to the top of her head and Karen shuts her eyes.

Maybe if she just pretends…

 

 

They’re woken again by a knock on the door, three hours later. Karen stumbles to open it, sheets wrapping around her ankles, calling out for Penelope to wait. From his place amongst the pillows, Matt stifles a laugh at her flailing limbs.

‘Oh I do hope I’m not interrupting something!’

The blood rushes to Karen’s cheeks and she pulls self-consciously at the spaghetti straps of her shirt and inches the door shut behind, covering the sight of Matt spread-eagled across the bed.

‘No, Nonna.’

Penelope doesn’t look like she believes her. ‘Well anyway, get ready! I have plans!’

An hour later sees the three of them out in Manhattan. The place is swarming with tourists brandishing their cameras, but Penelope doesn’t mind, or she largely ignores them. Despite living a state over, she hasn’t visited much of the city at all. She poses stiffly in the middle of Times Square and Karen laughs and takes a picture. A tourist offers to take one of the three of them together and they press into the shot. Feeling brave, Karen slips her arm around Matt’s middle and smiles up at him, knowing he must be hating all of this but being too nice to say anything. She ends up studying the under side of his jaw, the rough stubble there, imagines pressing dainty kisses along the strong line….

 _Click_. The moment is caught forever.

Penelope coos over the photo later, sitting in a coffee house.

‘You look so in love,’ she says and Karen squirms in her seat. ‘She’s looking up at you, Matthew, not at the camera at all, smiling so brightly. Hold on to her won’t you?’

Matt nods solemnly and rests his hand on her thigh, dangerously high. ‘I have no plans to do otherwise, Mrs Page.’

Karen excuses herself to go to the bathroom and just sits in the stall for a few minutes, breathing shallowly. The thing is everything feels so _real_. And it’s not, she knows it’s not. Matt is just acting, filling the role she shoved him into in the first place, but he’s so _goddamn_ good at it. Every word that drips off his tongue is like honey, slick and sweet but it’s not _real_.

And what was their spooning session this morning? Telling him about her parents? The lingerie? All the goddamn touching?

Someone knocks on the door to make sure she’s okay and Karen is startled out of her thoughts, wipes her sweaty palms on her skirt and unlocks the door.

When she makes her way back to the table Penelope is talking, gesturing wildly. ‘Hey,’ she announces breezily, like nothing is wrong. Acting; she can do it too.

‘Hey yourself.’ Matt slides down the booth to make room for her. She goes to drop down next to him, but his hand comes up against her back, guiding her downwards. His face is upturned towards her and as she settles next to him, their mouths meet and Matt kisses her, a slow but light peck on the lips.

He goes back to talking to Penelope like it’s nothing, but beside him, Karen is left reeling.

 

 

He does it again. Kisses her, that is. They’re back in the apartment and Penelope is gathering her things, ready to catch her taxi back home. Matt and Karen are stood in the kitchen, making tea, and Karen is hissing under her breath.

‘Why did you do that Matt?’

‘Do what?’

‘Kiss me! In the café!’

He shrugs, reaching for the teapot that Karen shoves into his hand.

‘I thought we were meant to be together.’

‘I never said anything about kissing me, without my permission!’

Matt stops what he’s doing to turn to face her, looking confused and hurt. He has a couple of inches on her height-wise, so she squares up to him.

‘I’m sorry,’ he says. ‘I just thought—‘

‘Well you didn’t think, did you? And I—‘

Matt titling her chin with his fingers and his lips pressing into her own cuts her off. This time the kiss lingers and before she can control what is happening her mouth is opening to his and his tongue slips inside. She gasps when his hand comes to rest on her hip and the other moves from her jaw into her hair. Just like in the café the moment feels so natural, like they’ve been doing this forever, but the thrills currently rushing down her spine tell Karen otherwise. His lips are soft and full and warm and she gets lost in them.

When they break apart she sees Penelope standing across from them, smiling coyly.

‘I see you two won’t be sad that I’m gone.’

She glances back at Matt, her breath still heaving, and can tell that he had known that Penelope was there.

The realisation crashes into her.

 

 

They wave Penelope goodbye from the sidewalk, arms curled around each other, but as soon as they yellow cab disappears round the corner, their arms drop, as does Karen’s heart, straight into her gut. She feels sick.

Back in the apartment she starts to gather her things, putting them in the cardboard box she bought them over in. Matt listens silently as she crosses to and fro in front of him, his face a mask. She sets the box on the counter.

‘Thank you, Matt. For this weekend. For going along with it. For being so nice to my grandmother.’

‘It’s not a problem,’ he says stiffly. ‘She’s a nice lady.’

‘A little too enthusiastic,’ Karen says and Matt cracks a smile.

‘No, she was fine.’

‘But like I said, thank you. I should be going.’ There’s a pause where they stand opposite each other. The distance feels strange and foreign now and Karen wonders if she’ll ever feel comfortable around him again.

‘I’ll see you in work tomorrow?’

‘Karen, wait.’

She pauses by the hallway, balancing the box on her hip. ‘What?’

‘Did you enjoy it? This weekend? With me?’

 _Immensely_. _Enormously_. Every _minute_. ‘Yes.’

He smiles then, a real smile that reaches his eyes and makes them crinkle at the corners. ‘Good. I did too.’

She watches him carefully. ‘Good.’

‘Hey Karen?’

‘Yeah?’

He pushes himself off the counter. ‘Put the box down,’ he says slowly. ‘You know what? Put everything back where it was – I’m sure it looked wonderful. Just do me a favour – promise me you won’t go home?’

Karen places the box slowly on the floor. ‘What are you talking about Matt?’

He’s not saying what she thinks he is, is he? _Is he?_

He moves towards her and she meets him halfway, her hands resting on his arms that move to encircle her waist.

‘Move in with me,’ he says, a whisper in her ear. Private and not for show, not for anyone but themselves. Karen’s heartbeat spikes and Matt laughs under his breath and kisses the corner of her mouth gently, sliding his lips over hers. The tense feeling in her gut liquefies into something else entirely and she clings to him, caught between laughing at how _ridiculous_ this all is, and just melting in his arms.

‘We don’t need six months. We only need a weekend.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
